It is known that some humans may abuse substances such as alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, tobacco, sugar, coffee and/or colas. It is also known that abuse of such substances results in humans having compulsive disorders, which include but are not limited to alcoholism, addictions to marijuana, tobacco, cocaine, heroin, caffeine, sugar, and/or the like. These compulsive disorders cause changes in the metabolism of human cells in such a way that metabolic voids or errors in metabolism occur. These cellular changes produce an addictive state which expresses itself as the compulsive disorder. This compulsion is created by the cellular changes which makes the human crave the addictive substance(s). Thus, substance abuse results in adverse cellular metabolism which compromises cellular health in the human addict.
Substance abuse affects cellular metabolism throughout the human body. However, the human liver is generally one of the first organs affected. This is especially important because the liver is a highly active, vital organ which is generally known as the "metabolic capital" of the body, performing over 400 essential bodily functions. For example, the liver performs bile synthesis and secretion needed for fatty acid metabolism, while the liver's vascular network and specialized cells filter and store blood. The liver also contributes to carbohydrate metabolism for conversion of galactose and fructose to glucose, conversion of amino acid residues to glucose in gluconeogenesis, formation and storage of glycogen in glycogenesis and the formation of many important chemical compounds from carbohydrate intermediates. The liver further performs fat metabolism which includes fat conversion to transport form--the formation of lipoproteins; oxidation of fatty acids to acetoacetic acid, then to acetylcoenzyme A (CoA) and into the citric acid cycle to yield energy; formation of bile salts, cholesterol and phospholipids; and conversion of carbohydrate and protein intermediates to fat through lipogenesis. The liver still further performs protein metabolism which occurs via deamination of amino acids; production of lipotrophic factors for fat conversion to lipoproteins; formation of plasma proteins; urea formation for removal of ammonia from body fluids; and many amino acid interconversions, transamination and amination and synthesis of nonessential amino acids, purines, pyrimidines, creatine, phosphate et al. Other related functions of the liver include storage of vitamins A, D, B12 and other B complex vitamins as well as vitamin K; production of blood coagulation factors from prothrombin in the presence of vitamin K, and from other blood factors such as fibrinogen, accelerator globulin, and factor VII; storage of iron as ferritin; conjugation and excretion of steroid hormones; and detoxification of certain drugs including morphine and barbiturates.
As a result of substance abuse, these functions of the liver operate at a less than optimal level. If the substance abuse is prolonged or severe, such ailments as cirrhosis of the liver may occur. Evidence of this is found in that cirrhosis of the liver is one of the ten leading causes of death in the United States.
The next major organ affected by substance abuse is the brain, which consists of tens of billions of cells that perform thousands of functions. The human brain is the central organ for coordination and regulation of the human body which controls speech, locomotion, behavior and a broad range of intellectual and emotional functions. Unlike other human organs, the brain cannot regenerate a cell once the cell is destroyed. The brain, however, if properly nurtured can repair compromised brain cells, where, for example, compromised brain cells may result from intoxication. In alcohol abuse many of the brain structures are so eroded by the solvent effect of alcohol that brains of alcoholism are not used in cadaver labs to study brain structures
If a human is abusing alcohol, cells within the liver and brain may be damaged. For example, alcohol abuse causes cellular damage to the brain and liver due to the effects of ethanol and acetaldehyde build up in the tissue. Ethanol starts the degradation process in the liver as acetaldehyde which is broken down by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. When this enzyme is depleted, a rapid build up of acetaldehyde occurs, which is capable of producing THIQ (tetrahydroisoquinoline) a false neurotransmitter that interferes with though processes. (1) (Cohen & Collins, Science 167:1749-51, 1970; (2) Davis & Walsh, Science 167:1005-7,1970; (3) Sandler, et al. Nature 241:439-43,1973). Toxification of specific enzyme systems occurs when nutrient deficits at the cellular level permits the beginning of destructive cellular changes. Destructive cellular changes alter cell functions in ways that eventually lead to more frequent use and greater quantities of the addictive substance(s) resulting in a psychlogical and/or physical dependency.
Although Alcoholics Anonymous and other "twelve step" programs treat the addiction, they do not address the physical changes on the cellular level. Admittedly, the "twelve step" programs do a very good job of addressing many of the addict's social, spiritual and some of the psychlogical reasons for the addiction. Cellular deficits of nutrients are not discussed nor are they addressed by the "twelve step" programs nor by other methods of counseling.
Treatments for alcoholics, drug addicts, smokers and/or like persons addicted to harmful substances have heretofore included relatively large dosages of vitamins such as Vitamin B1, Niacin, L-Glutamine or other factors individually or in combinations of one or two items at relatively high dosages. In these treatments, the nutrients are sued as if the cells were deficient in only one or a few nutrients. When deficiencies occur, they generally occur in many areas simultaneously. Excessive use of one or more nutrients may alter cellular biochemistry in some undesirable ways that overwhelm or compromise the benefits. These treatments fail to normalize and optimize metabolic pathways in the addictive individual because they address only a portion of the cellular metabolic needs, often at the expense of others. While it is known that the addict relies on the addictive substance(s) as a substitute for a nutritional diet and soon experiences losses in healthy cells especially in the brain, lung, liver and/or pancreas it must be recognized that withdrawal from the addictive substance(s) requires the opening up of normal metabolic pathways to the vital organs in a manner that will bichemically build up the damaged cells of the brain, liver, adrenals, kidneys, pancreas and/or other organ tissues.
Cellular deficiency of a substance abuser has been addressed to a very limited degree. For example, some nutritional therapies have been developed to address one or more nutritional deficity Alkonil was a product utilizing niacin, vitamin C and glutamine at a dose of one gram each per tablet. Although this produced benefits in the alcoholic, it addressed too few of the metabolic compromises in the addict to be truly effective. For example, minerals and B vitamin needs are not addressed leaving a constellation of nutritional deficits in the addict.
Standard medical procedures usually treat one or more signs or symptoms of alcoholism during crisis. Such treatments may include use of intravenous magnesium for delirium tremens; or treat the early stages of cirrhosis of the liver with drugs. This type of treatment does not address the cellular deterioration as happens to the Ito cells of the liver which become fat storage depots. Many of these treatments are useful in crisis intervention and addressing the effects of substance abuse, yet do little to treat the cause of substance abuse or restore normal cellular metabolism.
Therefore, a need exists for a nutritional supplement that effectively treats the general and specific nutrient cellular deficits and subcellular nutritional requirements for normalization and optimization of health at the cell level first, and eventually the health of the whole organism itself--the human addict.